There are plenty of mysteries surrounding Santa Claus and just how he manages to make that round-the-world trip in one night.
While part of the joy of Christmas is believing in the magic an act of kindness can bring, that doesn’t stop millions from asking the tough questions about Claus, those reindeer and how he gets down a chimney when he, shall we say, is carrying a little bit of extra weight.
Here are a few of the most asked questions about Santa and the answers you can find online.
Saint Nicholas was born in 270 AD. That would make him 1,747 years old.
Santa is getting ready for his round-the-world trip. He's at the North Pole. On Christmas Eve, Google and NORAD both track Santa's trip around the world. Click here to follow along.
Credit: Alex Wong
Credit: Alex Wong
How many reindeer does Santa have?
According to legend, Santa has eight reindeer – Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder and Blixem. The names Dunder and Blixem are derive from Dutch words for thunder and lightning. They were later changed to Donner and Blitzen.
The names and the number of reindeer came from the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas.” A ninth reindeer, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, was added to the list as the popularity of the 1939 story “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” published by the Montgomery Ward Co. grew.
How does Santa get down the chimney?
Well, we're guessing it's a very special magic that allows Santa to make it down chimneys to leave toys. One clue on how he does it may come from the poem, "A Visit from St. Nicholas." The poem mentions "a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer." Does that mean Santa can miniaturize his sleigh, his reindeer, the toys and himself? It would explain a lot.
Want to learn to sketch old St. Nick? Here’s a tutorial.
Want to get a call from Santa? Here’s a few ways to do that.
You can use Dial My Calls to get calls personalize in several different ways.
You can have Santa talk to your child by using his or her name, or, if you can’t find the name on the list, you can choose one of seven other ways to have it directed toward you child.
You can choose from:
Santa's Greeting #1: A phone call for older kids who may not believe in Santa.
Santa's Greeting #2: A message for a child who's been doing well in school.
Santa's Greeting #3: A message with a bible verse.
Santa's Greeting #4: A general message from Santa and the reindeer.
Santa's Greeting #5: A message encouraging your child to work on his or her behavior.
Santa's Greeting #6: A response to a letter sent to Santa.
Santa's Greeting #7: Praise for a child who's been doing well this year.
You can also use Christmas Dialer, The Santa Phone Project or download the free app Santa's Magic Phone.
It's never too late to write Santa. Click here for a tutorial from wikiHow that shows you step-by-step how to do it.
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